Rubber bearing, preferably a stabilizing bearing, and method for mounting this bearing

ABSTRACT

The present invention pertains to a rubber mount, preferably a stabilizer mount, and to a process for mounting the mount, which is used to mount sectional bars used preferably as stabilizers. Its basic object is to design a mount of the said type such that the mounting is simplified. For this purpose, the elastomeric mount body ( 2 ) for receiving the sectional bar as well as a clamp ( 3 ) for jointly fastening the mount ( 1 ) and the sectional bar to other components forms a structural unit according to the present invention already before the mounting on the sectional bar. Both the mount body ( 2 ) and the clamp ( 3 ) receiving it have an axially extending opening gap ( 5 ). The mounting of the mount ( 1 ) on the sectional bar is carried out using the opening gap ( 5 ) by pressing the sectional bar through this opening gap into the mount ( 1 ), i.e., the mount ( 1 ) is clamped on the sectional bar. The structural unit clamped on the sectional bar can be fixed on the sectional bar by closing means ( 6, 6 ′) arranged at the axial ends of the clamp ( 3 ) after closing the opening gap ( 5 ) while the elastomer is pretensioned.

SPECIFICATION

[0001] The present invention pertains to a rubber mount for mounting cylindrical sectional bars, preferably for mounting stabilizers, as well as to a process for mounting such a mount on a sectional bar or stabilizer.

[0002] Rubber mounts are frequently used for various purposes for elastically mounting cylindrical sectional bars. For example, the stabilizers of motor vehicles are mounted by means of corresponding rubber mounts. The stabilizer is received for this purpose by the elastomeric mount body and fastened together with this on other components, e.g., on the auxiliary frame of a vehicle, by means of a clip (or clamp or bracket) surrounding the mount body. According to the state of the art, the stabilizers are supplied either with premounted mounts vulcanized on the stabilizer, or the mounting of the mounts is carried out in the course of the fastening of the stabilizer to the other components directly at the user. The first solution requires high manufacturing costs for the supplier of the stabilizers, especially because the mounting of the mounts on the stabilizer is often comparatively difficult and requires a great mounting effort. To mount a mount, the clip (the clamp) is pushed over the stabilizer from the axial end. The same procedure is subsequently followed with the rubber body of the mount, and this is pushed over the stabilizer up to the point at which the sectional bar shall be mounted. The frequently relatively complicated geometry of the stabilizer makes the displacement of the rubber in the axial direction considerably difficult, at least in some sections. After the elastomer, i.e., the mount body proper, has been pushed over, the clip is pushed over the rubber body to fix the mount body, and the mount body must be prevented in the process from being displaced from the intended position in the axial direction.

[0003] In the case of on-site mounting in the course of the installation of the stabilizers, a clip that is open on one side is placed around the rubber body pushed previously over the stabilizer. During the fastening of the stabilizer with the rubber mount pushed over it to, e.g., the auxiliary frame, which is carried out by means of screws, the pretension must be applied for the elastomer by means of the screws. This variant proved not to be particularly user-friendly in this respect, aside from the aforementioned difficulties arising during the pushing over of the elastomeric mount body.

[0004] The object of the present invention is to design a mount of the said type such that its mounting on a sectional bar or stabilizer is simplified compared with the state of the art. Furthermore, the object is to provide a process for mounting a mount of a corresponding design.

[0005] The object is accomplished with a rubber mount having the features described in the principal claim. A process for mounting a mount designed according to the present invention is characterized by claim 13.

[0006] The rubber mount according to the present invention (hereinafter also called “mount”) comprises in the known manner an elastomeric mount body for receiving an essentially cylindrical sectional bar or stabilizer (hereinafter called stabilizer) as well as a clip (clamp), which is used to jointly fasten the mount and the stabilizer to other components (e.g., to an auxiliary frame). However, unlike in the state of the art, the mount body and the clamp form a structural unit according to the present invention already before the mounting on the stabilizer. Both the elastomeric mount body and the clamp receiving same have an axially extending opening gap. The opening gap is designed such that the stabilizer can be pressed through the opening gap into the mount, i.e., the mount can be clamped onto the stabilizer. The assembly unit clamped onto the stabilizer can be fixed on the sectional bar while the elastomer is pretensioned after the closure of the opening gap by means of closing means arranged at the axial ends of the clamp.

[0007] Corresponding to a possible embodiment of the rubber mount according to the present invention, the closing means are designed in the form of straps, which are arranged at the axial ends of two wings, which are located opposite each other on the circumference of a closed clamp and extend radially to the outside. The wings comprise two surface elements, which are in contact with one another when the opening gap of the mount mounted on the sectional bar is closed. To fix the mount, the straps, which are arranged on one of the surface elements of a wing each and are bent twice, surround the respective other surface element of the corresponding wing and thus keep closed the opening gap formed between the surface elements of one of the wings. The closing means, in the form of the straps, are a direct part of the clamp in this embodiment of the mount, but it is also possible to keep the opening gap closed by riveting or welding in the area of the wings of the clamp. To fasten the mount to other assembly units, the wings have openings, preferably for passing through a screw.

[0008] For the fixation of the mount by the closing means, the opening gap has an opening angle of 50° to 70°, whereby the apex of the opening angle is on the axis of the mount. The opening angle is preferably about 60°.

[0009] The mount according to the present invention makes possible simple and therefore low-cost mounting on the stabilizer. The customer obtains the stabilizer with premounted rubber mounts and needs only to fasten the entire unit comprising the stabilizer and the mounts by means of holes provided on the clips of the mounts and screws during the installation of the stabilizer. He no longer needs to care about the fixation of the elastomeric rubber body to the stabilizer. In particular, the pretensioning of the elastomer necessary for the fixation no longer needs to be applied via the screw connection used to fasten the entire arrangement. At the supplier of the stabilizers, the design of the mount as a structural unit with the axial opening gap permits simple mounting on the stabilizer even in the case of complicated stabilizer geometries, as a result of which the mounting costs will decrease markedly.

[0010] According to practical embodiments, the clamp, preferably made of a metallic material of small thickness, has reinforcements. Radially outwardly extending lugs may be provided, e.g., on the optionally present wings in the area of the opening gap in the vicinity of the closing means, and/or the clamp may have a ribbing on its outer surface at least on the circumference surrounding the mount body, the ribs preferably extending in the axial direction.

[0011] To support the mounting, one or more elevations engaging complementary depressions of the inner surfaces of the clamp are provided on the outer surface of the elastomeric mount body in an advantageous embodiment of the rubber mount according to the present invention.

[0012] The clip or the clamp may have a one-piece design or comprise two parts, which surround the mount body on its circumference in an approximately semicircular pattern, but which are connected to one another on the side located opposite the opening gap before the insertion of the mount body. Depending on the intended use of the mount and the desired characteristic, a plastic shell may be additionally inserted between the mount body and the clamp while the basic design is maintained. To axially fix the mount body and optionally the plastic shell in the clamp, a ring collar each, which extends over some sections or over the entire circumference surrounding the mount body, is provided at the axial ends of the clamp in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] A process for mounting a mount designed according to the present invention is as follows. If the clip comprises two parts, the two parts are first fitted together at least partially. The elastomeric mount body is then introduced into the clamp, in which the opening angle of the opening gap is preferably 60°. The structural unit formed in this manner is clamped onto the stabilizer. This is done by pressing the sectional bar through the opening gap into the assembly unit, so that it is not necessary to push the mount axially over the stabilizer beginning at the ends of the sectional bar. The opening gap makes it possible to clamp the mount directly on the sectional bar at the intended site. The opening gap is then closed and the mount body is pretensioned at the same time by means of closing means provided on the clip as well as fixed on the sectional bar, the straps arranged on the radially outwardly extending surface elements of the clamp being bent twice for this purpose, so that they surround the surface elements that form together with them the aforementioned wings for fastening the mount in a clip-like manner. The opening gap is thus kept closed. According to an especially advantageous embodiment of the mount or clamp according to the present invention, the external diameter of the clamp decreases during the closing of the opening gap in the course of the mounting, so that a highly uniform stress distribution is obtained in the elastomer over its entire circumference. Without the risk of slipping of the mount body, the stabilizer can be mounted now together with the mount, e.g., on an auxiliary frame.

[0014] The elastomeric mount body may be connected to the clamp by a vulcanization operation before it is pushed over the stabilizer. However, it is sufficient, in principle, to place the mount body into the clamp without fixing. The assembly unit formed by the clamp and the mount body may be optionally fixed additionally on the stabilizer by a bonded connection. If the mount body is not connected to the clamp by vulcanization, the clamp may be provided with a surface protection already before the mounting. The surface protection is otherwise applied after the vulcanization operation.

[0015] The present invention shall be explained in greater detail on the basis of an exemplary embodiment. In the drawings belonging to the specification,

[0016]FIG. 1 shows the rubber mount according to the present invention before the mounting on the sectional bar;

[0017]FIG. 2 shows the mount according to FIG. 1 in a view with a radial section;

[0018]FIG. 3 shows the rubber mount according to FIG. 1 mounted on the stabilizer;

[0019]FIG. 4 shows the mounted mount according to FIG. 3 when viewed toward the wings;

[0020]FIG. 5 shows the mount according to FIG. 4 with a section along line B-B;

[0021]FIG. 6 shows the design of the mount with a plastic shell inserted between the mount body and the clamp and with an axially arranged ring collar; and

[0022]FIG. 7 shows an axial section of the mount according to FIG. 6.

[0023]FIG. 1 shows the mount 1 according to the present invention. The mount 1 comprises the elastomeric mount body 2 and the clip 3 (clamp) surrounding the said mount body 2, which form a structural unit. According to the example, the clamp 3 has a one-piece design. Both the clamp 3 and the mount body 2 consisting of rubber have an axially extending opening gap 5. Straps 6, 6′, which will later be used as closing means, are provided on the surface elements 8, 9 at the axial ends of the clamp 3. The surface elements 8, 8′, 9, 9′ have holes 10, 10′, via which the entire arrangement including a stabilizer 4 accommodated by the mount 1 (see FIG. 3) can be connected to other components by means of a screw connection. In practice, at least one of the holes, which is common after the closing of the opening gap 5 and forms the opening 10, will be rather designed as an elongated hole for tolerance reasons, unlike as shown in the drawings.

[0024] The design of the mount 1 is illustrated once again by FIG. 2, which shows the mount 1 according to FIG. 1 in a radially extending section. The elastomeric mount body has an elevation 14 as a mounting aid, which engages a corresponding depression of the inner surface of the clamp 3 after the insertion into the clamp. The axially extending opening gap 5 preferably has an opening angle α of 60°. Thus, it is designed such that it enables the mount 1 to be clamped on the stabilizer 4. The opening gap 5 is closed after the clamping on, and the straps 6, 6′ provided on the surface elements 8, 9 of the clamp 3 are bent twice. As a result, the straps 6, 6′ acting as closing means surround the surface elements 8′, 9′, so that the opening gap 5 remains closed and the surface elements 8, 8′ and 9, 9′ form a common, radially outwardly extending wing (7, 7′) each. This is illustrated by FIG. 3. The external diameter of the clamp 3 is reduced during the closing of the opening gap 5 of the mount 1, which had previously been pushed over the stabilizer 4. As a result, the elastomeric rubber body 2 is pretensioned, and a uniform stress distribution becomes established over the entire circumference of the component. The mounts 1 and the stabilizer 4 mounted in it can be fastened to other components, e.g., to the auxiliary frame of a vehicle, by means of screws to be led through the holes 10, 10′ of the wings 7, 7′.

[0025]FIG. 4 shows once again the mount 1 mounted on the stabilizer 4 according to FIG. 3 when viewed toward the wings 7, 7′. It can be clearly recognized how the closing means 6, 6′ surround one of the surface elements 8, 8′, 9, 9′ forming the wings 7, 7′. The holes 10, 10′, by means of which the entire arrangement can be fastened to other components, are arranged radially on the outside. The conditions are shown once again in FIG. 5 in a sectional view with a section along the line B-B.

[0026]FIG. 6 pertains to an embodiment of the mount 1, in which a ring collar 16, 16′ extending over at least parts of the circumference is provided at the axial ends of the clamp 3. This embodiment is especially advantageous when the mount body 2 and the clamp 3 are not vulcanized because, e.g., a plastic shell 15 is additionally inserted between the elastomeric mount body 2 and the clamp 3, as in the embodiment according to FIG. 6. The ring collar 16, 16′ prevents the rubber body 2 (or the rubber body 2 and the plastic shell 15 surrounding it) from slipping within the clamp 3 when the assembly unit is pushed over the sectional bar 4. Just as in the case of the mount 1 according to FIG. 1, the clamp 3 has a ribbing, whose ribs 13 extend in the axial direction, on its outer circumference to increase the mechanical stability. The design of the mount 1 according to FIG. 6 is illustrated once again by the view in FIG. 7, which shows the arrangement in an axial section. The ring collars 16, 16′ at the axial ends of the clamp 3 as well as straps 6, 6′, which still point axially to the outside before the opening gap 5 is closed and the mount 1 is fixed on the stabilizer 4, can be clearly recognized. The plastic shell 15 surrounding the rubber body 2 can be clearly recognized as well. Since vulcanization is not possible to connect the elastomer to the clamp 3 due to the insertion of the plastic shell 15, the ring collars 16, 16′ represent an effective measure to prevent the components of the assembly unit from slipping during clamping on the stabilizer.

[0027] List of Reference Numbers Used

[0028]1 Mount, rubber mount

[0029]2 Mount body, rubber body

[0030]3 Clip, clamp

[0031]4 Sectional bar, stabilizer

[0032]5 Opening gap

[0033]6, 6′ Closing means, strap

[0034]7, 7′ Wing

[0035]8, 8′ Surface element

[0036]9, 9′ Surface element

[0037]10, 10′ Opening, hole

[0038]11, 11′ Lug

[0039]12, 12′ Lug

[0040]13 Ribs

[0041]14 Elevation

[0042]15 Plastic shell

[0043]16, 16′ Ring collar 

1. Said rubber mount (1) with a said elastomeric mount body (2) to receive a said cylindrical sectional bar (4), preferably a stabilizer, and a said clip (3), which is used to jointly fasten the said mount (1) and the said sectional bar (4) to other components, which form a structural unit, which has a said, axially extending opening gap (5), which is open before the mounting on the said sectional bar (4) and makes possible the clamping of the said mount (1) on the said sectional bar (4), and can be fixed on the said sectional bar (4) by said closing means (6, 6′) arranged on the said clamp (3) after clamping on the said sectional bar (4) while the said opening gap (5) is closed and the elastomer is pretensioned.
 2. Rubber mount in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the said closing means (6, 6′) are designed in the form of straps as part of the said clamp (3) and are arranged at the axial ends of two said, radially outwardly extending wings (7, 7′) located opposite each other, which comprise each two said surface elements (8, 8′, 9, 9′), which are located next to each other when the said opening gap (5) of the said mount (1) mounted on the said sectional bar (4) is closed, wherein the said straps (6, 6′) arranged at one of the said surface elements (8, 9) each are bent twice, so that, surrounding the said respective other surface element (8′, 9′), they keep the elastomer under pretension and they keep the said opening gap (5) formed between the said surface elements (8, 8′) of one of the said wings (7) closed, and wherein the said wings (7, 7′) have said openings (10, 10′) for fastening the mount to other assembly units.
 3. Rubber mount in accordance with claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the external diameter of the said clamp (3) decreases during the closing of the said opening gap (5).
 4. Rubber mount in accordance with one of the claims 1 through 3, characterized in that the said opening angle (α) of the said opening gap (5), whose apex is located on the axis of the mount, is 50° to 70° before the mount is mounted.
 5. Rubber mount in accordance with claim 4, characterized in that the said opening angle (α) of the said opening gap (5) is about 60° before the mount is mounted.
 6. Rubber mount in accordance with one of the claims 2 through 4, characterized in that to reinforce the said clamp (3), said lugs (11, 11′, 12, 12′) are formed at the axial ends of the said wings (7), between the said surface elements (8, 8′) of which the said opening gap (5) extends, in the area of the transition of its circumference surrounding the said mount body (2) to the said surface elements (8, 8′).
 7. Rubber mount in accordance with claim 1 or 6, characterized in that the said clamp (3) has a ribbing on the outer surface in the area of its circumference surrounding the said elastomeric mount body (2).
 8. Rubber mount in accordance with claim 7, characterized in that the said ribs (13) extend in the axial direction.
 9. Rubber mount in accordance with one of the claims 1 through 8, characterized in that the said elastomeric mount body (2) has on its outer surface one or more said elevations (14) engaging complementary depressions of the inner surfaces of the said clamp (3).
 10. Rubber mount in accordance with one of the claims 1 through 9, characterized in that the said clamp (3) has a one-piece design.
 11. Rubber mount in accordance with one of the claims 1 through 10, characterized in that a said plastic shell (15) is inserted between the said mount body (2) and the said clamp (3).
 12. Rubber mount in accordance with one of the claims 1 through 11, characterized in that a said ring collar (16, 16′) each is provided on the axial front sides of the said clamp (3), which said ring collar extends over some sections of the circumferential area of the said clamp (3) surrounding the said mount body (2) or over the entire circumferential area of the said clamp (3) surrounding the said mount body (2).
 13. Process for mounting a said rubber mount (1) on a said sectional bar (4), preferably on a stabilizer, in which a) the said elastomeric mount body (2) is introduced into a said clip (clamp) (3) used for the subsequent fastening of the said mount (1) and of the said sectional bar (4), b) the said mount body (2) is clamped, together with the said clamp (3) surrounding it, on the said sectional bar (4) via a said opening gap (5) extending axially through the said mount body (2) and the said clamp (3), c) the said opening gap (5) is closed, d) said straps (6, 6′) arranged on said, radially outwardly extending surface elements (8, 9) of the said clamp (3) are bent twice, so that they surround said additional surface elements (8′, 9′), which are in contact with the said surface elements (8, 9), in a clip-like manner, and as a result they keep the said opening gap (5) closed and fix the said mount (1) on the said sectional bar (4) while pretensioning the elastomer.
 14. Process in accordance with claim 13, characterized in that the said clamp (3) is provided with a surface protection before the said mount body (2) is inserted.
 15. Process in accordance with claim 13 or 14, characterized in that the said mount body (2) is inserted into the said clamp (3) together with a said plastic shell (15) surrounding it.
 16. Process in accordance with claim 13, characterized in that the said elastomeric mount body (2) and the said clamp (3) are connected to one another by vulcanization before being clamped on the said sectional bar (4), and the said clamp (3) is preferably provided with a surface protection thereafter.
 17. Process in accordance with one of the claims 13 through 16, characterized in that the said mount body (2) is fixed to the said sectional bar (4) by means of an adhesive after it has been clamped on the said sectional bar (4) or while it is being clamped on the said sectional bar (4). 